Re: Gnus 5.2.20: SAVEDIR

Re: Gnus 5.2.20: SAVEDIR

[Mark Borges]

>> On Wed, 19 Jun 1996 23:15:14 -0600,
>> John Turner(JT) wrote:
[...]
JT> The problem is that once again gnus-directory isn't being set to
JT> the value of the env. var. SAVEDIR as it should be:

JT> gielgud.lanl.gov% echo $SAVEDIR 
JT> /home/turner/Mail/News 

JT> C-h v gnus-directory:
JT> gnus-directory's value is "~/News/" 

I hate it when that happens.

What *should* work according to my understanding of the
`gnus-directory' documentation is to

   (setq gnus-directory "/my/news/path/")

in your gnus-init-file. But it doesn't, because all the other Gnus
file variables the doc-string talks about:

------------------------------------------------------------
gnus-directory's value is "/home/mdb/Mail/news"
  -- a variable declared in Lisp.

Documentation:
*Directory variable from which all other Gnus file variables are
derived.
------------------------------------------------------------

have already been set by the time gnus-init-file is read. So, for
example, you wind up with gnus-article-save-directory still pointing
at the default ("~/News"). And then bad things happen.

The obvious fix it to have `gnus-init-file' be read earlier on in
gnus.el, but I don't know if there are any side-effects to doing
this.

The only way I've been able to get what I want is the ugly gross way:
manually set each of these in my gnus-init-file, e.g.,
------------------------------------------------------------
(setq
 gnus-directory (expand-file-name "~/Mail/news")
 gnus-nocem-directory (expand-file-name "~/Mail/news/NoCeM/")
 gnus-article-save-directory gnus-directory
 gnus-kill-files-directory gnus-directory
)
------------------------------------------------------------

I don't want to use SAVEDIR; my environment is polluted enough.

But it appears from looking at gnus.el that using SAVEDIR should work
(if it's been properly exported), but you're right it doesn't.

-- 
  -mb-

Re: Gnus 5.2.20: SAVEDIR

[John Turner]

Mark Borges writes:
 > >> On Wed, 19 Jun 1996 23:15:14 -0600,
 > >> John Turner(JT) wrote:
 > [...]
 > JT> The problem is that once again gnus-directory isn't being set to
 > JT> the value of the env. var. SAVEDIR as it should be:
 > 
 > JT> gielgud.lanl.gov% echo $SAVEDIR 
 > JT> /home/turner/Mail/News 
 > 
 > JT> C-h v gnus-directory:
 > JT> gnus-directory's value is "~/News/" 
 > 
 > I hate it when that happens.
 > 
 > What *should* work according to my understanding of the
 > `gnus-directory' documentation is to
 > 
 >    (setq gnus-directory "/my/news/path/")
 > 
 > in your gnus-init-file. But it doesn't, because all the other Gnus
 > file variables the doc-string talks about:
 > 
 > ------------------------------------------------------------
 > gnus-directory's value is "/home/mdb/Mail/news"
 >   -- a variable declared in Lisp.
 > 
 > Documentation:
 > *Directory variable from which all other Gnus file variables are
 > derived.
 > ------------------------------------------------------------
 > 
 > have already been set by the time gnus-init-file is read. So, for
 > example, you wind up with gnus-article-save-directory still pointing
 > at the default ("~/News"). And then bad things happen.
 > 
 > The obvious fix it to have `gnus-init-file' be read earlier on in
 > gnus.el, but I don't know if there are any side-effects to doing
 > this.
 > 
 > The only way I've been able to get what I want is the ugly gross way:
 > manually set each of these in my gnus-init-file, e.g.,
 > ------------------------------------------------------------
 > (setq
 >  gnus-directory (expand-file-name "~/Mail/news")
 >  gnus-nocem-directory (expand-file-name "~/Mail/news/NoCeM/")
 >  gnus-article-save-directory gnus-directory
 >  gnus-kill-files-directory gnus-directory
 > )
 > ------------------------------------------------------------
 > 
 > I don't want to use SAVEDIR; my environment is polluted enough.
 > 
 > But it appears from looking at gnus.el that using SAVEDIR should work
 > (if it's been properly exported), but you're right it doesn't.

I prefer to use SAVEDIR because a number of people here use my setup
stuff, and using env vars lets them put things where they want and not
have to muck around in .emacs, .vm, .gnus, ...

So I use env vars for a bunch of things.  I use the "standard" ones
like SAVEDIR and define new ones like VM_INBOX.  Then in my .vm I
have:

(if (getenv "VM_INBOX")
    (setq vm-primary-inbox (getenv "VM_INBOX")))

Anyway, I have a number of things like this, and it just makes it
easier for other folks to use my stuff.

But back to SAVEDIR.  It looks like the relevant code is right at the
top of gnus.el:

(defvar gnus-directory (or (getenv "SAVEDIR") "~/News/")
  "*Directory variable from which all other Gnus file variables are derived.")

which kinda looks OK, but I'm not an elisp expert at all...

+-----------------------+--------------------------------------------------+
|John A. Turner         |"Music is the cup which holds the wine of silence;|
|Los Alamos Natl. Lab.  |  sound is that cup, but empty;                   |
|e-mail: turner@lanl.gov|    noise is that cup, but broken."               |
|                       |                        - Robert Fripp            |
+-----------------------+--------------------------------------------------+

Re: Gnus 5.2.20: SAVEDIR

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Mark Borges <mdb@cdc.noaa.gov> writes:

> The obvious fix it to have `gnus-init-file' be read earlier on in
> gnus.el, but I don't know if there are any side-effects to doing
> this.

Well, one can't read .gnus.el before Gnus has loaded.

> The only way I've been able to get what I want is the ugly gross way:
> manually set each of these in my gnus-init-file, e.g.,

Just set `gnus-directory' in .emacs.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@ifi.uio.no * Lars Ingebrigtsen

Re: Gnus 5.2.20: SAVEDIR

[Mark Borges]

>> On 20 Jun 1996 16:47:44 +0200,
>> Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen(lars) wrote:
lars> Mark Borges <mdb@cdc.noaa.gov> writes:

>> The only way I've been able to get what I want is the ugly gross way:
>> manually set each of these in my gnus-init-file, e.g.,

lars> Just set `gnus-directory' in .emacs.

Doh! Yes, that works. Lessee if I can ask a more intelligent question
now to try to redeem myself...

Is it safe to assume that all valid variables in Gnus-5.2.20 are
documented? I've got a bunch of what appear to be bogus left-over
variables that I'd like to purge. Otherwise I might think they
actually do something useful -- besides, my gnus-init-file is way too
big.

I'd go ahead and just do it, but I see stuff like

   $ grep gnus-use-generic-from *.el
   gnus.el:(defvar gnus-use-generic-from nil)
   $

which I don't understand -- why is it defvar'd and never used?

-- 
  -mb-

Re: Gnus 5.2.20: SAVEDIR

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Mark Borges <mdb@cdc.noaa.gov> writes:

> Is it safe to assume that all valid variables in Gnus-5.2.20 are
> documented? 

Yes, just about.

> I'd go ahead and just do it, but I see stuff like
> 
>    $ grep gnus-use-generic-from *.el
>    gnus.el:(defvar gnus-use-generic-from nil)
>    $
> 
> which I don't understand -- why is it defvar'd and never used?

It's a variable from GNUS 4.1 left in for people who rely on it being
defined.

-- 
  "Yes.  The journey through the human heart 
     would have to wait until some other time."